Aimeé
For a lot of people, International Men’s Day is kind of a joke. For people who have been oppressed or abused by men, it can be hard to conjure up much enthusiasm for them getting an extra special day of attention.
Licensed therapist Yassmin Eldouh decided to go against the general vibe and post a long serious thread about the “things that men uniquely struggle with.”
Her compassionate points grapple with issues like suicide, the need for therapy, and the socialization that often leave men feeling like they don’t have access to support or care.
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329324015819874304
There a lot of the expectations she said men suffer from that aren’t as directly related to mental healthcare, but which take their toll on that kind of health overall. For example, associating financial success with manliness and the pressure to perform and provide. And the fact that men are much less likely to report abuse or sexual assault.
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329325271086981120
Many of the things she lists—substance abuse, anger management, shame—connect back to the inability to discuss emotions or be perceived as weak. This leads to even more serious problems.
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329325651120230400
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329327055926865921
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329328494258626560
She also calls out more specifically how there is intersectionality amongst men who fit into marginalized groups, like the high rate of incarceration for Black men and violence against gay and trans men.
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329329757725597696
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329346531695194112
She then touches on how specific disorders are misdiagnosed in men or seen at much higher rates than in women because of work or war:
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329357541021724674
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329441170011938819
https://twitter.com/philyptian/status/1329482951797714950
Many of the effects that Eldouh is describing can be attributed to patriarchy, a system built by and supported by men. They’re also stuck inside it. Everyone deserves mental health support, healthcare, and compassion when they’re struggling and men need to hear that the problems they have are not something they need to go through alone. Because they’re not alone at all.
